Many surgeries require postoperative drainage of excess blood and other fluids from the operative field. To account for this, a surgical drain such as a Jackson-Pratt or Penrose drain is typically placed deep within the operative field at the end of an operation. The wound is then sutured together in the vicinity of, but not including, the drain. Several layers of closing sutures may be present depending upon how deep the drain is placed. Drains are typically removed between one to five days following surgery.
Surgical drains are generally made from silicone or rubber, such that they are at risk of being punctured by a suture needle. Occasionally, the sutures used to close the wound inadvertently encircle or capture the drain. This sutures the drain in place within the patient's body, and there is no way for the surgical team to know this has occurred until drain removal is attempted several days later. When this does occur, it necessitates a second surgery and accompanying increases in morbidity, length of stay, and even mortality.
In light of the foregoing issues, there is a need in the art for a device and method that timely alerts the surgical team that a drain has been sutured in place within a patient's body, such as within a surgical wound. This will enable the surgeon to reopen the operative area and free the drain while the patient is still under anesthesia from the first surgery, thereby reducing the chances for a second surgery and associated complications.